


Our Technicolour Lives

by IrelandinIrish



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Protective Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-10-18 20:03:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10624152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrelandinIrish/pseuds/IrelandinIrish
Summary: What if Mrs Jones had left by herself that night?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I've read every fic possible featuring Jellybean and I totally adore her, I'm holding out for her to make an appearance on the show at some point because I think the family dynamic between her and Jughead would be adorable. But until then I'm writing this - adding her into the story as if she had never left Riverdale with her Mom.

**_" _Our story is about a town, a small town, and the people who live in the town. From a distance, it presents itself like so many other small towns all over the world; safe, decent, innocent. Get closer, though, and you start seeing the shadows underneath. The name of our town is Riverdale._ "_ **

Jughead sat back from his laptop with a sigh and flexed his fingers before lifting his milkshake and taking a long slurp through the straw.

"Yikes, so much for 'once upon a time' and all that crap" a teasing voice in the teen's ear made him jump, and he turned quickly, coming face to face with the mischevous smirk of his little sister.

"First of all - don't sneak up on me like that" he warned, relaxing back into his seat and returning to his drink as the girl slid into the booth opposite him "Second of all - don't swear."

"Oh come on!" she snorted "You think growing up around you and Archie I haven't picked up a few things?"

Jughead shook his head with a roll of his eyes and brought his fingers back above his keyboard as he chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. Deciding he was out of juice for the night, he reluctantly shut the lid of his laptop and looked over at his sister who was finishing off his milkshake.

"What're you doing here so late Jellybean?" he questioned, his eyebrows furrowing "You snuck out again didn't you?"

"You do it all the time" the girl shrugged, pushing the now empty glass across the table before sitting back with folded arms "Besides, what could possibly happen? I'm the daughter of a Southside Serpent."

Jughead winced slightly, he opened his mouth to reply when his sister suddenly dropped under the table, cursing through gritted teeth.

The teen frowned in confusion and turned, almost laughing at the sight of Archie walking towards him.

"I know you're under there Jellybean" the red-head sighed, raising his eyebrows at the girl as she slowly pulled herself back up onto the seat.

"How many sundae's will it take for you not to tell your Dad?" she pleaded, staring up at him hopefully.

Archie shook his head "Look forget it, we've gotta go. Now." 

He looked pointedly at Jughead who stared back, utterly bemused "What's going on Arch?"

The red-head glanced around at the few other diners enjoying late night fast-food "Let's just get out of here...okay?"

He impatiently checked the time on his phone, waiting for Jughead to pack up his stuff and grab hold of his sister, steering her by the shoulder out into the cold night air.

"Are you gonna start talking or what?" 

Archie stuffed his hands in his pockets, striding quickly down the road "It's bad dude, really bad" he was muttering

"What's bad?" Jellybean piped up, almost having to jog to catch up with the two older boys.

"Kevin text me, said his Dad got a call-out to Sweet Water River" Archie took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, digging in his jacket pocket for his keys.

"Alright well that's not so terrible right?" Jughead reached out and tapped his friend's shoulder, bringing the group to a halt just outside Archie's house.

The teen shook his head "It's bad Jug, Kevin said it was a code 187"

"What's a 187?" Jellybean looked between the boys curiously.

Jughead swallowed hard, not breaking eye contact with Archie

"A murder"

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica arrives in Riverdale for the start of the school year, and Jason's body is found.

Archie looked up at the school gates, the hum of other students chatter becoming white noise in the background.

He felt a gentle hand squeeze his shoulder, and turned to see his childhood best friend Betty Cooper stood beside him with a small smile on her lips.

"You okay?" she asked softly, allowing her fingers to brush against him slightly as her arm fell back to her side.

"It's just weird, thinking about Jason not being here, not being on the team anymore" Archie shrugged, hoisting his backpack higher onto his shoulder.

"I know what you mean" Betty nodded, glancing up at the block lettering ' **RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL** ' 

Their silence was broken by the arrival of Jughead, who still looked half asleep as he shuffled towards them "Heard about the assembly?" he yawned, knuckling his eyes.

Archie and Betty turned to him "What assembly?" they asked in unison.

Jellybean stopped beside them, nudging her brother playfully and causing him to stumble in his still sleepy state "Cheryl Blossom's demanded a whole school assembly so everyone can weep over her twin. As if the first day back at school isn't already depressing enough."

The three teenagers stared at her through wide eyes and she shrugged before taking off after her friends.

"Sometimes dude, your sister frightens me" Archie muttered, looking at Jughead who smirked, leading the way inside.

* * *

The gym was packed, and full of quiet murmurings of gossip as Cheryl Blossom strode across the floor and took her place behind the podium. Her make-up was immaculate, her heels were high, her outfit was pristine.

"She must still be in shock" Betty whispered, just as the hall fell silent.

"I called everyone here today to talk about my brother. JJ hasn't been with us for...several months now, but as this is the first day here at Riverdale High without him, I felt it were appropriate for me to let you all know that it's okay to be sad. Jason was an amazing assett to the school, to the football team and to our family and although he is gone physically, he'll always live on...in here."

She placed a hand over her heart and closed her eyes, clamping her teeth down on her lip to hold back the tears.

The silence that followed was only broken by the doors swinging open, sending a long creaking drone echoing throughout the room. In the doorway stood a dark haired girl, dressed in an outfit that screamed 'vintage', with a string of pearls round her neck.

"OMG that look is gorgeous" Kevin gasped, nudging Betty who nodded dumbly as the chatter started up again amongst the student body.

Cheryl stood frozen at the podium, glaring at the new girl who had dared to interrupt her moment. Taking a few brief seconds to cool down, the teen walked slowly over to the girl with an extended hand.

"Welcome to Riverdale High" she greeted, batting her eyelashes "And you are?"

Principal Weatherbee hurried over to the awkward introduction and tapped Cheryl on the shoulder "Thankyou for that lovely speech Miss Blossom, I'll take it from here" he said hastily, offering the dark haired newbee a smile before turning to the rest of the students still seated around them. "You may leave" he addressed them "Have a great first day back everyone."

He waved them away and shot a pointed look to Cheryl who turned on her heel and stormed out through the hoards trying to bustle from the gym at the same time.

Mr Weatherbee turned back to his new student "If you'd like to follow me Miss Lodge, we'll get you settled in" he gestured for her to follow him through the opposite doors towards his office.

* * *

Jughead drummed his pencil against the desk as he stared out of the window watching a blackbird swoop through the wind. He felt envious of the creature, free to roam while he was stuck in the metaphorical cage that was high school.

"Mr Jones are you listening?" an impatient voice cut through his daydream and the teen slowly turned back to face the front.

"Yes Miss Grundy" he sighed, dropping his pencil on the table.

He looked down at his empty music sheet and closed his eyes, preparing himself for the inevitable detention he was about to recieve as he heard the tap tap tap of the woman's shoes coming towards him.

When no such instruction came, he cracked open one eye to see Miss Grundy heading back to the front of the class. She put down her chalk and perched on the edge of her desk, looking round at her class.

"I understand that for many of you, today will be a difficult one. Jason Blossom was a very loved member of this school, and his death has left a seemingly irreperrable void in your lives. But he wouldn't want you all to fail because of it, so we need to soldier on, for Jason. Okay?"

Her speech faded away into the sound of the lunch bell and the hum of vibration as dozens of student scraped back their chairs.

Jughead screwed up his blank worksheet and tossed it into the trash on his way to the door, where he turned to wait for Archie.

"I'll meet you in the cafeteria" the red-head said hastily "Just got to go over the assignment."

Jughead glanced to Miss Grundy before shrugging and leaving, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Everybody's talking about Jason" Archie grumbled, sinking into a seat at the table about 15 minutes later.

"Well the guy's dead, it's kind of a big deal I guess" Betty pointed out, carefully unwrapping her lunch.

"Still, does every teacher need to relate a student's impending failure to his death?" Jughead scowled, stabbing at his plate of food wearily.

There came a silence that followed as they ate, which was broken by a slight cough to gain attention. The three looked up to see the dark-haired new girl from the gym standing over them, her eyes focused on Betty.

"Hey, sorry to bother you, only it's my first day and all so, I don't exactly have friends yet" she laughed uneasily and glanced round at the group.

Betty hurriedly finished her mouthful and nodded "Of course, sorry" she smiled, scooting along the bench "Guys this is Veronica Lodge, she's in my French class."

"You speak French?" Archie looked at her mildly impressed

"Oui Monsieur" the girl nodded, pulling an apple from her bag and taking a bite "So what's the deal with that girl from the assembly this morning? Because if looks could kill then I'd be so totally murdered."

Jughead snorted while Archie spat the half-eaten chip from his mouth.

"Err?" Veronica turned to Betty.

"That was Cheryl Blossom, her brother Jason was murdered a few months ago...What you interrupted this morning was her shining moment to mourn him in front of the whole school."

Veronica's mouth formed an 'O' and she raised her eyebrows "Wow, anymore dark secrets of Riverdale I should know about?"

"The Drive In is haunted, the River Vixen's are the spawn of Satan and the chocolate shakes at Pop's Diner are by far superior" a bubbly voice chirped from behind them.

The group turned to see Jellybean stood there clutching her lunch-tray with a playful smile 

"The Drive In isn't haunted" Jughead rolled his eyes 

"That's what you think" his sister shot back, sliding into the seat beside Archie "Totally cool thunder steal from Cheryl this morning" the girl praised, grinning at Veronica "About time someone reminded her the world doesn't revolve around the Blossom family."

Veronica laughed "That wasn't exactly intentional but I'll take the credit, thanks" she turned to the rest of the group "Who's this little fireball?"

"That's Jellybean" Betty introduced, nodding to Jughead "His sister"

"Ahh I totally see it" Veronica nodded "Bubbly and broody, the ultimate combo."

Jughead opened his mouth to defend himself but was drowned out by the laughter of the table.

"Well well well look who managed to pull the stylish new girl." Kevin slid into the seat beside Veronica with a beaming smile "Loving the pearls by the way."

The girl laughed "Thanks, my Dad gave them to me before-" she stopped herself, her smile fading.

"You okay?" Betty asked in concern as an uncomfortable silence fell over the table.

"Yeah I'm fine, sorry just...family stuff isn't really on my top 10 list of conversational topics."

"I hear that" Jughead muttered, glancing over at his sister who had fallen quiet.

Veronica looked between the siblings "You too huh?"

"Let's just say we live with him" Jughead sighed, nodding to Archie who gave an awkward wave, blushing furiously.

"Well at least you have a house" Veronica laughed "I came here fresh out of a taxi, in fact I'm not sure where I'm gonna go after school." She frowned thoughtfully until Betty placed a comforting hand on her arm.

"You can come to Pop's with us? Try out that chocolate shake that Jellybean told you about?"

Jellybean perked up at this "I swear you won't be disappointed" she promised, twirling spaghetti round her fork.

Veronica looked round at the group who were all waiting for her reply.

"Okay, deal, I can't wait to see what all the fuss is about." She winked at Jellybean who grinned.

* * *

"Archie that is like the 5th time your phone's gone off, who are you avoiding?" Betty demanded, watching as the boy turned his mobile off altogether and placed it face down on the table.

"Cold calls" he bluffed, shooting her a look that screamed 'none of your business'

The blonde held his gaze for a few more seconds before turning to Veronica who was deep into her third chocolate shake.

"Okay so the kid didn't lie, this is like the best thing I've ever tasted" she sighed happily, tapping her ruby red nails against the glass.

"Yeah she's pretty useless for most things but my sister knows her sugar" Jughead nodded, suppressing a fond smile.

"Where is she anyway?" Veronica questioned, glancing around as if the youngster would suddenly appear.

Archie leant forward, resting his forearms on the table as he spoke "My Dad won't let her stay out after it gets dark, what with the murder investigation and all."

"Though she does have a tendency to sneak out" Jughead added.

"The kid's like a ninja" Archie finished with a chuckle, looking down at his phone before shoving it into his pocket, out of sight altogether.

The door of the diner was flung open and Cheryl strode in, sending the group a sickly sweet grin as she ordered her usual strawberry milkshake at the counter.

"Here cometh the ice queen" Kevin muttered, hunching down in his seat as the girl descended upon them followed by her usual host of River Vixens.

"Well if it isn't the breakfast club playing nice with our new student" she drawled, folding her arms.

"Hi Cheryl" Betty greeted softly "How're you-"

The red-head raised a hand to cut her off as she turned to Veronica.

"I didn't catch your name before, but I've done my research now, and you should know that the last thing this town needs is the likes of you rocking up."

Veronica raised her eyebrows, her mouth falling open slightly "Excuse me?"

"Oh please" Cheryl snorted "Your family is all over the news, your Father more specifically."

Archie looked between the two girls before settling his gaze on Cheryl "That's enough" he warned "You barely know her"

"I know her well enough" she shot back, rounding on the dark haired girl once more "Or are you going to deny that your Father is in prison for embezzling money?"

The group fell silent, and Veronica bowed her head "That's none of your business" she murmured.

"Perhaps not, but the my family care deeply about this town, and therefore the people that live here. So don't go settling in round here, your days are numbered."

"You mean like Jason's were?"

The words were out of Veronica's mouth before she could stop them, and the whole diner fell silent. She felt Betty tense beside her, but couldn't bring herself to break eye contact with Cheryl.

Without another word the teen had swept from the diner, leaving a cold and awkward quiet behind her.

"Oh my God" Veronica groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"That was amazing, like reality show level drama" Kevin breathed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I just...I don't know, she really got to me" 

"I'll say" Jughead snorted "To tarnish the Blossom family name is one thing, but to direct it at Jason?" he whistled "You are one brave lady"

Veronica screwed her eyes shut, opening them when she felt Betty squeeze her shoulder.

"Is it true? The stuff about your Dad?" she asked quietly.

Veronica sighed "I guess there's no use trying to hide it anymore... _Thanks Cheryl_ "

"Man that's rough" Archie sympathised "I'm sorry...About your Dad"

"It's fine, my Mum seems to think it won't be a long sentence, that there was just a mix-up or something so..." she shrugged "Who knows, maybe Cheryl will get what she wants and I'll be shipped back to New York before I know it."

The raven haired girl chuckled nervously, resting her head on Kevin's shoulder.

"Well that's totally not what  _we_ want" he told her "Having you here has been the most drama since our dearest JJ passed on" he pulled a face that sent the rest of the group into rounds of laughter that was interrupted by the arrival of a tall, dark woman at their table.

"Mom?" Veronica stood up and wrapped her arms round her Mother.

"Hi darling, nice to see you've made some friends on your first day" she smiled round at the group as they greeted her.

"Have you found us somewhere to go?" Veronica asked quietly, sliding her bag up her arm.

Hermione Lodge reached out to stroke her daughter's hair "Of course I have, I just swung by to pick you up since I hear this is where all the youngsters hide out" she draped an arm round Veronica's waist "Let's go home" she whispered in her ear.

Veronica closed her eyes and sighed in relief as she waved goodbye to the group "See you tomorrow" she called back, following her Mom from the diner.

Once she'd gone Betty glanced down at her watch "It's getting late guys" she sighed "And you two have a curfew"

Jughead and Archie shared a look before draining their shakes, moving to get up when Kevin's phone buzzed against the table.

"It's my Dad" he frowned, scanning the text quickly "OMG" he gasped, slowly lifting his head to look round at the others.

"What is it?" Jughead asked warily, shrugging on his jacket.

"They found Jason's body"

* * *

Archie unlocked the front door and let himself in, closing it behind Jughead as they made their way into the kitchen.

"Dad?" the red-head called out, walking to the doorway and craning his neck to look upstairs "Hey Dad are you here?"

The only answer was silence as the teen trudged back to the kitchen where Jughead was rummaging in the fridge. He emerged with a sloppily made sandwich and took a seat at the counter.

"Jellybean we're making food if you want some?" he called out to his sister. 

Again there was no reply.

"Okay this is weird" Archie muttered, turning to his friend "Right?"

The pair hurriedly made their way upstairs and into Jellybean's room. It was empty, and the window was wide open.

"Seriously?" Jughead groaned as Archie walked over and closed it "Down the drainpipe? Again?"

Archie shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, starting when he heard the door slam downstairs.

"Dad?" he called out hopefully.

"Downstairs. Now."

The two boys exchanged a look of confusion before charging back into the kitchen.

Fred was stood leaning against the counter, a beer in his hand as he ran a hand over his face.

"Are you okay?" Archie questioned, furrowing his eyebrows as he entered "Where have you been?"

Jughead appeared behind his friend in the doorway as they waited for a reply.

"The police station" Fred answered eventually, taking a long sip of his drink.

"What?" Archie blurted "Why? Dad what's going on?"

Fred looked up as the door to the living room opened slowly, revealing Jellybean standing there, pale with red-rimmed eyes.

Jughead frowned "God Jelly what did you do?" he groaned.

The girl looked up at her brother with wide eyes, her voice quiet as she said

"I found Jason Blossom"

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We delve into Jellybean's discovery of Jason's body, get a lil bit of Jughead/Jelly love, and explore the beginnings of a new toxic friendship.

_Jellybean was sat cross-legged on her bed playing an intense game of snake on her phone - the classics always were the best._

_"Alright kiddo I'll be in the den if you need me, I gotta stack of paperwork to fill in" Fred appeared in the doorway with a tired smile._

_Mr Andrews had always been the predominant Father figure in Jughead and Jellybean's lives, since their own Dad had proven time and time again he wasn't in a fit enough state to take care of them._

_"Sounds super boring Mr A" the girl joked, grinning up at him "Definitely sounds like you'll be asleep before me tonight."_

_Fred laughed, disappearing downstairs and so he missed the glint of mischief in Jellybean's eye as she returned to her game._

* * *

_It was almost 8pm when the sound of Mr Andrews snoring could be heard from the den._

_Jellybean grabbed an apple from the bowl in the kitchen and crept back upstairs, checking her phone for messages before shoving it into her pocket._

_The girl shrugged on her leather jacket - a gift from her Dad that she had refused to give up, and gripped the apple in her mouth as she slid open her bedroom window and leant out._

_With one final glance back to her door, she swung her legs out onto the small ledge beside the window, reaching across to grab the drainpipe as she clambered down like a monkey, landing effortlessly on her feet as she took a bite of her apple and took off down the road without a backward glance._

* * *

_A group of freshmen were meeting at Sweetwater River, which was a high school initiation in itself since it was the sight of Jason Blossom's murder months previously._

_Jellybean jogged over, startling her friends who all cheered at her arrival._

_"So you snuck out then?" one girl Darcy inquired_

_"Well I'm here aren't I?" Jelly pointed out with a triumphant smirk_

_"I suppose you're right" the girl nodded "Anyway, these two were just debating whether or not to go for a swim."_

_They turned to two boys who were stood side by side with folded arms and identical grins._

_"Make sure the ghost of Jason Blossom doesn't drag you under to your own watery deaths!" One guy whisper-yelled from his spot atop the rocks._

_"Really Rory? C'mon man tone down the weird" Darcy pleaded with a roll of her eyes as she hooked an arm through Jellybeans._

_"I'm up for a swim" Jelly announced, pulling off her jacket to the applause from her fellow swimmers._

_"See, she knows how to have a good time, you should try it Rory" they teased._

_The group ran down to the water's edge, where one guy - Mikey, stuck his toes in._

_"It's freezing!" he hissed, drawing back_

_"Don't be such a baby" the other - Drew, laughed and shoved him forward, sending him face first into the water with a splash._

_He came up gasping at the cold, shivering in the moonlight "What the hell man!"_

_"Man up and swim" Drew instructed, flicking water at him with his foot._

_"Splashing? Really?" Jellybean snorted, stepping into the water "How old are you?"_

_"That's some big talk from a girl about to get dunked" he teased, wading over to her_

_"Try it and you're dead" she warned_

_"Don't say dead!" Rory cried "Jason will hear you!"_

_"Geez Rory" Darcy snapped "Stop mentioning his name, he's gone"_

_"But they never found a body" he reminded her._

_It was the irony really, that followed. Drew grabbed Jellybean by the shoulders and ducked her beneath the water, where she thrashed her arms around to try and get free. They met something in the water which she thought was Drew's arm, so she grabbed it and powered to the surface with it in her grip._

_As she appeared back above water, she was met with a torrent of screams and cries, and she looked up to see the others racing to the shore with Drew amongst them. That's when she turned and saw her fingers clasped round the swollen, bloated wrist of Jason Blossom._

* * *

Jellybean finished her story, now sat on the couch curled up against her brother, who had his arm wrapped round her protectively.

Fred was sat in the chair opposite, leaning forward with his arms rested on his knees "Someone in the group called the Sheriff and I got a call from the station asking me to come in and get her." 

Archie looked over at the girl he'd grown to call his sister, he'd never seen her look so small and vulnerable.

"I don't get it" he said quietly "Why has his body surfaced now? It's been months, plus the cops dragged the lake for days."

His Dad shrugged "I don't know son, all Sheriff Keller said is that now they have a body they'll have a better chance of finding the killer, which means hopefully soon this whole murderous ordeal will be safely behind us."

"Everyone at school will know" Jellybean murmured "I'll get labelled the freak again!"

"We won't let that happen" Jughead told her softly

"Yeah because you have the best reputation at school" she snapped, scrambling from the couch and running upstairs.

The men watched her go in silence, until Fred got to his feet with a sigh "Right, time for bed, it's been a long day" he reached over and ruffled Archie's hair "Night boys" he called quietly, making his way out to the garage.

"This is insane man" Archie breathed, leaning back against the couch cushions

"I know" Jughead nodded

"You think she'll be okay?"

"I have no idea"

* * *

Despite Fred offering Jellybean the day off, the next morning she strode into school with her brother and Archie determined not to let yesterday's events get to her.

She stopped at her locker, deftly entering the code with a breath of relief as she buried her head inside and busied herself with her books.

"Oh my God Jelly you're here" Betty's voice reached her and she turned slightly as the blonde pulled her into a hug.

"Hey" she greeted quietly, glancing around at the nearby students "Trying to keep a low profile...so..." she shrugged and turned back to her belongings.

"When Archie told me that it was you who found Jason I just, I didn't know what to say. What was it like?"

Jellybean shut her locker a little harder than was necessary "Look, Betty, I could really do without this today okay?" Without waiting for a reply she dodged past the blonde and headed for her first class.

* * *

"When your sister came into the station last night I thought I was dreaming" Kevin told Jughead at lunch later that day "I mean c'mon she's like 12, that's gotta bring some kind of lifelong trauma right?"

"Well she wasn't coping so well last night" Jughead muttered, cracking open his soda "I woke up to her screaming 5 times."

"So that's why the two of you look like crap today" Veronica observed brightly, winking at Archie who blushed.

"Gee thanks" Jughead drawled, taking a sip of his drink.

"What did Cheryl say about it?" Betty wondered, leaning forward in her seat "Because no doubt she'll sink her claws into it asap"

Before Jughead could answer, the doors at the far end of the cafeteria were thrown open and Cheryl Blossom stormed in, the tap of her heels echoing round the now silent room.

"Oh shit" Archie winced, turning in his seat to where Jellybean was sat a few tables away, sure enough the exact point Cheryl was making a beeline for.

The red-head came to halt beside Jughead's sister, who was still staring down at her lunch like it was the most fascinating thing on the planet.

"You found my brother?" Cheryl demanded into the silence.

No reply

"I said-"

"Yes!" Jellybean stood up "I found your damn brother okay? And I wish to God I hadn't because it was the single grossest most terrifying thing I have ever seen!"

Cheryl took a step back, her eyes narrowed "How dare you speak ill of the dead, let alone my own brother!"

"What are you gonna do Cheryl? He's dead!" Jellybean shot back "Murdered in fact, so he can't have been that perfect!"

This caused a ripple of excited chatter from the onlooking students, while Veronica let out a murmured "You go girl" as she watched.

Cheryl raised her hand to slap the youngster, but instead swept the contents of her lunch on the floor instead.

"I will not let a disrespecting little nobody, insult my brother in that way" she hissed, pushing Jellybean back into her seat.

That was enough for Jughead, who had struggled to remain seated for long enough.

"Get you hands off my sister Blossom" he warned, walking towards her.

"Oh please, you don't scare me Wednesday Adams, in fact you're more of a freak than she is."

Jughead clenched his fists "You're pathetic" he ground out, reaching for his sister "C'mon Jelly"

He pulled the girl to her feet and led her from the cafeteria to the heckling and catcalls of the other students watching.

* * *

"I'm going to Mom's" Jellybean insisted once she and her brother were outside.

"No you're not" he sighed, leaning against the railings "You've done nothing wrong."

"Then why do I feel like some sort of criminal?" she demanded, scratching at her arm in agitation.

It was an action she started when she was little and their parents were fighting, sometimes she used to make herself bleed she did it so hard, which would have been the case now had her brother not been there to stop her.

"Come here" he said, pulling her into a hug just as the others appeared.

"You alright kiddo?" Archie checked in concern and Jellybean nodded.

"For the record, you totally owned her back there" Veronica praised, winking at the young girl

"I learnt it from someone pretty cool" Jelly mumbled, smiling up at her.

The moment was ruined by the arrival of Miss Grundy who approached the group with a stern look on her face.

"I hear you've been causing problems in the cafeteria Miss Jones?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's Cheryl you're looking for" Betty corrected politely.

"Actually Miss Blossom is the one who complained to me about Forsythia here"

"God don't call me that!" Jellybean snapped, bringing her nails back to her arm.

Jughead reached out and took her hand, squeezing it tightly "She didn't do anything, Cheryl was being...Cheryl"

Miss Grundy looked round at the group who all nodded, except Archie who looked away.

"Miss Blossom is in a very vulnerable state right now-"

"Oh please she knows what she's doing" Veronica snorted, wrapping an arm round Jellybean's shoulders.

"Miss Lodge that is quite enough from you" Grundy scolded, glaring at the girl who was stood beside Archie.

The red-head cleared his throat "We're sorry Miss Grundy, but really, it was Cheryl making trouble, not Jellybean"

The woman nodded with a sigh "Very well, Miss Jones you will accompany me to isolation for the rest of the day, Miss Blossom will join you as well."

Jellybean's jaw dropped and she turned to her brother who looked equally horrified. Still, the teen had no choice but to follow Grundy back into the school, which felt much the same as entering the lion's den.

* * *

Cheryl was already seated when Jellybean entered the room, and so the girl chose the furthest possible table and settled there, pulling out her notebook to doodle in.

"What you said about JJ was so beyond out of order" Cheryl began in a tight voice, turning in her chair.

"Look, I'm sorry your brother died, but I won't apologise for what I said, finding him was so...horrible, it didn't even look like a person." Jellybean shuddered and took a breath.

"Sheriff Keller at least should be able to start doing his job properly now" Cheryl sniffed, turning back "Jason's killer is still out there, it could be anyone."

Jellybean rolled her eyes "Still, at least you can give him a proper burial now" she pointed out, almost sarcastically.

Cheryl whipped back round "Oh we intend to, actually Mommy and Daddy wanted to meet you, the girl who found our Jason and returned him to us, you should come" the teen smiled brightly, licking her dark red lips as if she were about to devour Jellybean.

"I don't think that's a good idea, it should be family only" the girl protested hastily

"Au contrair" Cheryl dismissed "It's down to you that we're getting the opportunity, honestly it'll just be some nice words about Jason and a bit of food." The girl fixed Jellybean with a steely glare "Remember,  _nice_ words"

"Like freak?" Jelly shot back with raised eyebrows.

"I...apologise for that" Cheryl said stiffly "The harsh words about Jason clouded my emotions."

Jellybean sat back in her seat with a sigh "Why are you inviting me? I'm just a freshman and you hate me" she challenged.

Cheryl feigned hurt "I don't hate you silly" she giggled "I haven't been myself since..." she trailed off looking wistful and Jelly fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Fine" the teen sighed finally "I'll come to Jason's burial" she agreed, if only to bring an end to the sickening conversation.

"Perfect" Cheryl beamed "Mommy and Daddy will be thrilled."

With that she turned back to her work in silence.

"Can't wait" Jellybean murmured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason's memorial proves to be a dramatic affair

"This place is seriously creepy" Veronica hissed, her arm hooked round Kevin's as the group approached Thornhill.

Hoards of other people were swarming the manor, all dressed in black as they shuffled like zombies, in full mourning mode.

"I'm here to find my sister and then I'm out of here" Jughead vowed, pulling his hat lower down his head to protect his ears from the winter chill.

Archie clapped him on the shoulder "You told her to text you if she was in trouble, and you've heard nothing right?"

"So it's all good?" Betty answered confidently, though her forehead was pinched into a frown as they neared the front door.

"You say good I say very very bad" Jughead muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets as they walked inside.

* * *

_Jellybean was stood behind Cheryl as the redhead stared at herself in the mirror, the young girl wanted nothing more than to leave but according to Cheryl her parents had planned a speech in her honour and so it would be 'impossible for you not to stay and hear it'._

_"JJ hated us in black, he said it clashed with out hair" Cheryl sighed thoughtfully, running her fingers through the auburn locks._

_"I don't think anyone will notice...not today" Jellybean shrugged, fingering her phone in her pocket as she fought the urge to text her brother to come and get her out of this mess._

_Cheryl spun round to face the girl, plastering a smile on her painted lips._

_"Mommy and Daddy will make sure of it" she said brightly "They told me not to draw any attention to myself, in fact they suggested I shouldn't go at all."_

_"But you're Jason's twin sister" Jellybean frowned, withdrawing her hand from her pocket in indignation._

_Cheryl nodded with a tight smile "Indeed I am, which is why I need you to help me with something..."_

* * *

The rows of seats were filling up fast as the group slid into two relatively near the back.

"Does anyone else find it weird that Jason's body is right there on display?" Veronica questioned, sliding her bag off her shoulder as she slid along to make way for Kevin who settled beside her.

"It's totally morbid" he agreed "I love it."

Jughead rolled his eyes, checking his phone once more and Archie leant forward to nudge him.

"You've gotta stop worrying bro, she'll be fine I'm sure."

"I'll believe it when I see it" the boy said grimly, resting back against the hard wood of the bench as beside him Betty patted his knee comfortingly.

A platform had been set up at the front near the casket, and not too far off to the side Clifford and Penelope Blossom stood hand in hand surveying the crowds that had come to mourn their son for the last time.

"Where's Cheryl?" Betty wondered, craning her neck to scan the rest of the seats in case the teen had been tucked away somewhere, too embroiled in her own grief to participate in the memorial.

However the girl couldn't have been more wrong as just as Clifford and Penelope had taken the stand, the doors at the far end of the room opened to reveal Cheryl dressed all in white.

A collective gasp sounded from the onlookers, as the teen strode confidently down the middle of the room towards her horrified parents, the train of her dressing swooshing with every step.

"Holy-" Kevin breathed, his eyes lit up with excitement at such a grand entrance.

"Gotta hand it to the girl that is one bold move" Veronica whispered as the crowd hushed and Cheryl tapped the microphone.

"Hello everyone and welcome to Thornhill" she greeted, smiling round at them all "JJ would have been so honoured by the turnout today so on behalf of our family I'd like to thankyou all for coming."

A few people fidgeted in their seats, their order of services rustling in clammy hands as the tension in the room increased - Clifford and Penelope both glaring at their daughter who seemed unabashed by the stares as she continued.

"But it's not just our dearest JJ who we are celebrating today, for it wouldn't have been possible for us to lay him to rest and have the peace of mind we now have without one very important person."

Jughead blanched and turned in his seat "Oh you've got to be kidding me" he hissed, catching sight of his sister who was also dressed head to toe in white and looking as much uncomfortable as Cheryl looked comfortable.

"Come on Jellybean don't be shy" Cheryl encouraged, waving the youngster over as everyone in the room turned to watch her entrance.

"Wow, okay I take it back she totally wasn't all good" Archie muttered in Jughead's ear as they watched the girl shuffle along to the front.

Cheryl hugged her tightly and with so much vigour that it almost knocked Jelly over, had Clifford not been there to stiffly steady her. It was then that the man pulled his daughter from the podium and cleared his throat.

"Well thankyou Cheryl for...that. But indeed Forsythia Jones here is someone our family is deeply indebted to, had she not found our boy we would forever be left wondering what really happened to him that night."

Jellybean winced at the use of her real name, searching the crowds for her brother and offering him a weak smile to assure him she was alright.

Jughead looked back, his brows knitted in concern but he nodded all the same to signal that he understood.

The moment was interrupted as Jellybean felt Cheryl's nails digging into her arm, and the teen looked over to see Penelope gripping her daughter's wrist so tight it looked as though it would snap with any more force.

Jellybean's eyes widened and she shakily placed a hand atop Cheryl's to offer what little comfort she could in front of a room full of people.

"We have a buffet and bar set up in the dining room so please fell free to filter through while our family takes a little time here with Jason before we lay him to rest."

Clifford stepped back from the podium and stared out of the window with his hands behind his back, watching in the reflection as people slowly got up and left.

The minute the door had closed behind the last guest Penelope whirled round and slapped Cheryl hard across the cheek.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!"

The girl didn't respond, instead she merely drew in her lips and blinked back the tears threatening to fall.

Jellybean stumbled back open-mouthed as she looked for an escape route.

"How could you, today of all days why can't it be about your brother for God sake!" Clifford brought his fist down on the podium with a bang that made the two girls jump.

"How could you tell me not to come?" Cheryl fired back "He was my brother, my twin!"

Penelope shook her head "You're unbelievable, do we really need to tell you why we didn't want you here, or is the fact you ruined your brother's memorial enough evidence!"

Jellybean could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket and she slowly pulled it out, seeing her brother's name flashing as it rang. Silently the girl pressed answer, holding the cell in a shaky hand as the fight continued.

* * *

"Jelly where are you?" Jughead demanded down the phone, narrowing his eyes to try and hear a reply.

Beside him Archie was stuffing himself with cocktail sausages, although his face was also contorted in concern as his best friend continued to stress.

_You stupid girl I want you out of my house and out of my sight!_

Jughead held the phone slightly away from his ear at the words, eyes widening at the evident sound of a slap.

"Guys" he murmured "We've gotta go"

He hung up the phone and raced back through the halls, ignoring the others calling out to him as they followed as quickly as possible.

Jughead burst back into the memorial room, looking round frantically for his sister, heart pounding against his chest.

"What's wrong?" Betty questioned as the group finally caught up with him.

He ignored her, pacing up the aisle still searching for Jellybean, until the girl appeared from behind the podium, breathless and with tears in her eyes.

"Hey" Jughead breathed in relief, opening his arms as the girl threw herself into his chest.

Before he could ask her what was going on, she'd pulled away and returned behind the podium so he simply followed, freezing at the sight of Cheryl crouched on the floor as the blood from a split lip dripped monotonously onto her pristine white dress.

"Oh my goodness Cheryl what happened?" Betty exclaimed, sinking to her knees and digging through her bag for a tissue.

"It's nothing" the girl tried brightly "Mommy and Daddy are just very stressed about the enormity of the day."

Jellybean shook her head in disbelief "They hit you Cheryl, they hit you and they said horrible things about you."

Jughead wrapped an arm round his sister's shoulders as she got to her feet, and the group watched on in silence as Betty carefully cleaned the redhead up.

The sound of the door behind them crashing open made them all jump, and they turned to see Clifford standing there with a face like thunder.

"What's going on in here?" he growled, knuckles turning white as he gripped the doorknob.

"We're looking after your daughter since you  _assaulted her_ " Jellybean snapped, barely registering her brother pushing her behind him and out of harms way.

"Assault?" Clifford repeated with a laugh "I forgot how kids today can be so melodramatic."

Veronica folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at the man "Well she's bleeding and you hit her so what would you call it?"

"I'd call it a family matter that a few local degenerates have no business meddling in."

"Kevin is literally the Sheriff's son" Betty pointed out as she helped Cheryl up.

The boy in question stayed silent, but stared at the man unblinkingly.

"Get out of my house" Clifford ordered "Now."

"Fine but Cheryl comes with us" Jellybean insisted. 

Behind her, the redhead laughed "Oh come come Forsythia I'll be fine, you're talking about my Father as if were a monster."

The teen's looked at her in surprise and confusion, watching as the girl strode over to her Dad and stood beside him.

"Thankyou all again for coming" she said quietly, before turning and leaving the room in silence.

"Out" Clifford repeated firmly, following his daughter.

Jellybean took a step forward to go after them but her brother grabbed her arm.

"Leave it, it's nothing to do with us" he told her.

"I literally watched them hit her Jug, how can I just go home after that and pretend it didn't happen?"

Veronica squeezed the girl's shoulders "C'mon kiddo lets get you home and out of that dress, I need to see you back in black."

Jelly sighed but allowed herself to be led from the house, had she looked back she'd have seen Cheryl watch them leave, one hand pressed to the glass of the window as tears rolled down her cheeks.

* * *

"Well I have to say that even after being in their house the Blossom's still remain a mystery to me" Fred chuckled as he unbagged the takeout on the table.

Archie glanced to Jellybean who was staring at the tabletop.

"They're pretty good at acting if you ask me" he muttered, accepting the box his Dad handed him.

"Meaning?"

"Well I didn't see them cry once, in fact they seemed pretty robotic the whole day."

Fred shrugged "I suppose the shock still hasn't registered with them, plus they had a house full of guests to keep them distracted."

Jughead nudged his sister beneath the table and she looked up at him through dull eyes. He studied her worriedly, shaking his head ever so slightly to warn her off mentioning the altercation between Cheryl and her parents.

"At least Jason got a big send off, now we won't have to 'mourn' anymore" he said stiffly.

Fred glanced between the teens as he picked up finally on the strange atmosphere, putting it down to the sadness of the day he let it slide and he settled down to eat.

As the four picked at their food Jellybean's phone vibrated on the table and she glanced at it, snatching it quickly when she noticed Cheryl's name.

The message was a simple line but it turned her heart cold...

_If you meddle where you aren't concerned then people get hurt. Unless you want Daddy behind bars again you'll keep your mouth shut._

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jelly goes to see her Dad on the South Side and things take a turn for the worse

Jellybean read the text for what must've been the hundredth time since she'd received it the night before, and she was still unsure what to do about it.

She hadn't shown it to her brother because he would undoubtedly fly off the handle and get their Dad chucked back behind bars just as was threatened in the message.

Instead the girl tortured herself by repeatedly reading it, trying to word a reply or at least to pluck up the courage to ring Cheryl and find out what was going on.

She was about to reread it again when someone knocked on her door, and she looked up to see Archie stood in the doorway.

"You coming to school?" he asked lightly, one hand clutching the strap of his backpack.

"Yeah, one sec" the girl mumbled, locking her phone and sliding off her bed in a single bound.

She followed the boy downstairs where her brother was waiting on the porch playing with Vegas.

"Have you heard from Cheryl?" he questioned his sister as they left the house.

Jellybean froze momentarily before quickly shaking her head "I'm sure she's fine" she bluffed, striding ahead.

Behind her, the boys exchanged a confused glance but followed on all the same.

* * *

Jellybean said goodbye to her brother and Archie as they left her at her locker and the girl distractedly fumbled with her books, swearing beneath her breath as one fell to the floor and slid across the hallway.

"Oh Jelly, so clumsy" Cheryl's lilting voice spoke, and the youngster paused before accepting the book that the girl had picked up.

"Are you okay?" she asked awkwardly, shoving everything back into her locker and turning to the redhead who had shooed her following of River Vixens out of earshot.

"I'm fine, in fact I've never been better" she said brightly.

Jellybean raised an eyebrow as she hoisted her bag further up her shoulder.

"So your parents...haven't hurt you anymore?"

Cheryl let out a twinkly laugh "Oh heavens no, silly, they just confiscated my phone to teach me to behave but other than that we've agreed to put it all behind us..."

With that the girl turned on her heel and took off down the hallways, linking arms with her Vixens as she passed them.

Jellybean watched them go, her mind racing in confusion.

If Clifford and Penelope had confiscated Cheryl's phone then she can't know anything about the message, she didn't send it her parents did.

And that made the threat towards her Father all the more real.

* * *

The South Side had always been so intimidating to Jellybean, despite the fact that her Father practically managed the Serpents and therefore in the girl's eyes no harm could come to her there.

She walked into the White Wyrm as confidently as possible, ignoring the strange looks she received as she approached the bar.

"I'm looking for my Dad" she told the guy leant on the counter. He was big and muscular with more facial hair than a yeti and tattoos trailed up and down both his arms.

"And who would that be?" he asked her mockingly.

Jellybean opened her mouth to reply but someone beat her to it.

"Me"

She looked over her shoulder to see FP stood there, snooker cue in hand as she looked at her through narrowed eyes.

"What're you doing here kid?" he questioned.

"Needed to see you"

"Well you must be crazy to come here, it's not safe."

Jellybean tightened her grip on her bag and shrugged "I needed to see you" she repeated, this time more forcefully.

FP relented with a sigh and handed his cue to the nearest person before ushering his daughter through to a side room.

* * *

Back at Riverdale High the group were sat in the quad eating lunch when Principal Weatherbee approached them.

"Mr Jones may I have a word?" he requested quietly, nodding behind him.

Jughead frowned, shrugging at his friends to indicate he didn't know what this was about as he stepped out from the table and followed the man a fair distance away.

"Have you seen your sister recently?" Weatherbee questioned, wasting no time.

"Jellybean? Not since this morning" he said honestly, his heartbeat increasing "Why?"

Principal Weatherbee sighed "She failed to attend her classes, nobody's seen her since this morning when she was spotted talking to Cheryl Blossom in the hallway before homeroom."

"Cheryl?" Jughead echoed, inwardly cursing his sister for getting involved after he warned her not to.

"So you haven't seen her then Mr Jones?"

"No sir I haven't" he mumbled, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Weatherbee nodded and dismissed him, heading back into school while Jughead wandered over to his friends.

"What was all that about?" Archie asked, swiping a fry through his ketchup.

Jughead shook his head, resting his chin in his palm "My sister's bunking, Weatherbee wanted to know if I'd heard from her."

Veronica raised an eyebrow "Damn she's spunky...but where would she go?"

"That's the thing" Jughead sighed "Apparently the last time she was seen was in the hallway before homeroom, talking to Cheryl."

Betty tilted her head "You don't think she'd go back to Thornhill do you?"

Jughead pushed away his lunch tray.

"That's exactly what I think she'd do."

* * *

"So why are you here?" FP asked, leaning against the table as he offered his daughter a chair.

"You're not caught up in anything...bad at the moment are you?"

Her Father raised an eyebrow with a chuckle "Bad?"

"As in, nothing that could get you put in jail."

Jellybean scuffed her toes on the floor, refusing to meet his gaze as she spoke.

"Look kid, some of the stuff I do with the Serpents is pretty heavy I won't lie to you, but right now? Right now we're not onto anything."

FP stepped forward and tilted the girl's chin up to look at him.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

The teen shook her head "Nothing, I just wanted to check" she lied.

FP crouched down in front of his daughter and shook her by the knee.

"You expect me to believe that after months of non-contact, you came all the way over here just to ask if I was doing anything shady?"

Jellybean shrugged.

"Start talking little lady, I might be a Serpent but I'm still your Dad, now what's going on?"

* * *

Cheryl barely flinched when Jughead and his gang descended on her lunch table, instead she smiled round at them all as she made to leave.

"Where's my sister?" Jughead questioned, blocking her way.

"Excuse me?"

"She's been missing from school all day, last seen talking to you."

Archie pulled the boy away before he could get too agitated.

"Well I don't know where she is, all I said to her was that things at home were okay" Cheryl folded her arms across her chest.

Betty and Veronica shared a look as the raven haired girl stepped forward.

"Would she have gone to your house?"

Cheryl laughed "Why would she do that?"

Jughead shook his head, infuriated by the lack of care in the girl's voice.

"Because all she's done since the damn memorial is worry about you!"

Betty placed a hand on his arm to calm him, stepping aside to let Archie forward.

"Look" he began "Jellybean can be unpredictable and mischievous sure, but she wouldn't bunk off school without good reason, so can you call your parents and see if they know anything?"

Cheryl massaged the bridge of her nose "I can't, they took my phone as soon as you left the memorial."

Jughead frowned "That's impossible, you text her that night..."

The redhead shook her head "It wasn't me Wednesday Addams, I've been cell-less for 24 hours"

With that she pushed past the group and left the canteen.

* * *

"How's your brother?" FP asked as he stood at the bar with his daughter.

She shrugged "Still writing, still brooding" she smirked up at the man and he laughed as he handed her a soda.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" he checked, looking at his watch.

Jellybean bit her lip "Maybe...but I doubt I'll be missed."

FP ruffled her hair "After today no more bunking you got me?"

His daughter nodded and slurped at her straw "So how come we never get to see you anymore?"

"I told you kiddo it's not safe this side of the tracks."

"Then why don't you come to us?"

FP looked at her sadly "Because you don't want me in your life, you've got a good setup with Fred and your brother and Archie."

"But you're my Dad."

Before FP could reply, the door to the Wyrm flew open, sending a stream of sunlight into the otherwise dingy bar.

"Oh great, company" the guy behind the bar whistled, delving beneath the counter to withdraw a knife.

Jellybean froze, turning to look at the group descending the stairs.

"Ghoulies" her Father muttered, instinctively pushing the teen behind him "As soon as it's clear you run okay?" he told her.

"What does that mean?" the girl asked nervously, but her voice was drowned out by the sudden shattering of glass as the guy at the front of the opposing group held a broken bottle aloft.

"Serpents" he called to the silent bar "Welcome to hell."

A yell went up as the men clustered behind him charged the bar, and Jellybean stumbled back into the room she'd been in with her Dad previously. The girl pushed the chair up against the door and pulled out her phone, dialling with shaking hands.

* * *

"Well my Dad's gonna kill her" Archie sighed, dumping his bag in the hallway as he and Jughead arrived home.

Vegas came bounding from the kitchen to greet them, and both boys dropped to their knees to fuss the dog.

"Not if I kill her first" Jughead grumbled, checking his phone to see the time before tossing it onto the hallway table.

"C'mon I'm starving" Archie declared, getting to his feet and leading the way through to the kitchen where the pair began to raid the fridge.

As they tucked in to whatever was on offer, they missed the silent vibration of Jughead's phone as it rang on the table in the hall, his sister's picture filling the screen as her desperate call for help went unheard.

* * *

Jellybean let out a cry of frustration after her brother failed to pick up for the fifth time. Just as she was about to try Archie the sound of a body being thrown against the door made the girl jump and she dropped her phone to the floor.

Slowly the teen crept to the door and peered through the window to see what was going on, bodies littered the floor, groaning and cursing while the fight raged on around them.

Out of the corner of her eye Jellybean caught sight of her Dad being held by his throat against a wall. Without thinking the girl wrenched open the door and ran across the bar, barrelling into the guy and sending him into a nearby table.

"Jelly what are you doing? Go!" FP cried, taking her by the hand to try and get her out.

Just as the pair were heading for the door, a figure charged them sending both of them to the ground. Jellybean let out a hiss of pain and her hands flew to her leg where a shard of broken glass was dug into her shin.

"Daddy" she whimpered, looking up at FP through watering eyes.

"Jesus" he breathed, shielding her as yet more bottles were flown overhead. "It's okay baby I'll get you out of here" he promised, helping her to her feet.

They were metres from the exit when a guy slid in front of them brandishing a knife.

"Where do you think you're going snake?" he hissed.

FP held onto his daughter tightly.

"She was never meant to be here okay? She's my daughter and she's hurt and I have to get her out of here."

The man grinned, displaying rows of yellowed teeth "Your daughter huh?"

FP clenched his jaw "You don't touch her" he warned, producing a knife from the waistband of his jeans "Now let us out."

Jellybean was becoming a deadweight as the blood loss was leading to a loss of consciousness, and still holding out the knife for protection FP dragged his daughter from the bar and over to the truck parked round the side of the building.

"It's gonna be alright Jelly, you'll be okay."

* * *

The boys came back from walking Vegas, calling out hopefully for Jellybean as they shut the door.

"What the hell is she playing at?" Jughead fumed, catching sight of where he'd left his phone on the hallway table.

He stepped aside to let Archie past him, face falling as he noticed all the missed calls from his sister.

"Arch?" he yelled, rushing through to where the redhead was feeding the dog.

"What is it?" he asked, concerned by the sheer panic on Jughead's face.

"Five missed calls, five!"

Archie took the phone and pressed the call button, wincing slightly as it went to answerphone.

"Okay don't freak out" he began.

"Of course I'm freaking out!" Jughead snapped "She's been missing all day Archie, and the one time she tries to get in touch I don't pick up?"

Archie was about to answer when the house phone began to ring, and sighing he wandered over to answer it.

"Hello?" he greeted dully, watching Jughead pace back and forth.

_Hi my name is Dr Evans from Riverdale Hospital, is Mr Andrews there?_

Archie frowned, switching the phone to his other hand "No he's at work, I'm his son...what's going on?"

_We have a patient in our care and he's registered as a guardian, Miss F Jones?_

Jughead stopped his pacing as he felt Archie put a hand on his arm.

"Yeah, yeah he's her guardian" the redhead confirmed "We'll...we'll be right in."

He hung up and turned to his friend who was looking more dubious by the second.

"What's going on? Was that about Jelly?" Jughead questioned, yanking off his hat to ruffle his hair.

Archie swallowed before nodding "We gotta go man, she's in the hospital."

Jughead's jaw dropped, thousands of questions on the tip of his tongue, but instead he allowed Archie to lead the way from the house and to the truck parked out front. He called his Dad on the way and the man promised to meet them there after making his son promise to try and keep himself and Jughead calm in the mean time.

Archie glanced across to his friend sat in the passenger seat, anxiously gnawing at the loose skin around his thumb as they drove.

'Please be okay Jelly' the redhead begged inwardly 'You've gotta be okay'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jones family implodes and all is not as it seems at Thornhill

Jellybean was propped up on a hospital bed with her leg bandaged and elevated, beside her FP sat silently, his leg bouncing up and down in agitation.

"Dad" the teen called to get his attention "I'm okay, really."

The man shook his head "You should never have been there, I told you to leave as soon as things went bad."

Jellybean frowned "That guy was throttling you, I helped you!"

"Yeah and look where that got you!"

The girl stared at her Father in disappointment, glancing to her leg which was throbbing despite the painkillers in her system.

"It's not a crime for me to want to see my Dad."

FP turned away from her to stare at the wall.

"As soon as Fred gets here I'm gone" he vowed, burying his face in his hands.

"You don't mean that" Jellybean croaked "Before those guys came, it was just like before Mom left...we were having fun."

"Fun?" her Father scoffed "What's fun about having my kid turn up unannounced and embarrass me in front of my crew?"

The girl felt as though she'd been punched in the stomach, all the memories of her childhood came flooding back; the nights spent in Jughead's room while their parents fought, the times FP had stolen from her piggy bank to buy booze and drugs, the day he took her to the mall during one of his deals but forgot about her and left her there.

As the reality came crashing down, the tears welled in her eyes and so she barely acknowledged the arrival of her brother as he burst into the room breathing heavily.

"You're okay" he observed in relief, and the teen wiped her eyes and smiled up at him weakly, lifting her arms as he stepped forward to hug her.

Archie glanced to FP who was silent in the corner "What happened kiddo?" the redhead questioned, eyeing her leg.

The girl looked at her Dad "I got cut by some broken glass" she murmured, fingers scrunching in the bed sheets as she resisted the urge to cry.

Jughead sat on the edge of her mattress "Where have you been all day? Weatherbee thought I'd know why you were bunking...But I don't have any idea what's going on with you anymore little sister."

Jellybean shook her head "I went to see _him_ " she ground out, the tears finally spilling over "I should've known it would be a mistake."

For the first time Jughead looked to his Father "Was it down to you?" he demanded, his voice coming out in a growl.

FP got to his feet "She should never have turned up there."

"Where?" Archie frowned.

"The Wyrm" FP said grimly "She got herself mixed up in a bar brawl."

Jughead rounded on his sister who collapsed back against the pillows.

"Jelly you could have been killed" he hissed, though his hand found hers and he squeezed it tightly.

She shook her head "I saved him, and he reckons I embarrassed him in front of everyone" the teen spat.

FP was now at the door, his shoulders sagging.

"See you around kids" he sighed, letting himself out.

As soon as he'd gone Jellybean burst into tears, and Archie noticed Jughead's fists clenching at the sight.

"Dude-" he began, but the boy cut him off.

"Look after her" he instructed darkly, sliding from the bed to take after his Dad.

* * *

"Go on run away, that's all you're good for."

FP stopped walking and turned slowly to face his son.

"Go back to your sister" he sighed.

Jughead shook his head "I wanna know what happened, I wanna know exactly how my little sister,  _your daughter_ ended up in a hospital bed after one lousy trip to see you. C'mon Dad you can't be that toxic!"

FP ran a hand over his face "I told her she shouldn't have been there, I told her it wasn't safe but she wouldn't leave. She's just as stubborn as your Mother."

"Then why didn't you take her home?"

"Because she was going on about dangerous deals and me going to jail, I didn't know what she was on about."

Jughead wiped his lip, staring at his Dad with a mix of pity and anger.

"Yeah well strangely enough she cares about you, God knows why, you're a mess."

FP nodded "I deserve that" he admitted.

"No you deserve worse" his son snapped, lunging forward and slamming his Father against the wall.

Out of nowhere Fred Andrews turned up and pulled the boy off his Dad, holding him back as his shoulders heaved.

"Is this really the place?" the man questioned, shoving Jughead towards Archie, who had emerged from Jellybean's room at the sound of the altercation.

"St Andrews saves the day again" FP drawls, straightening his jacket "Have fun raising my kids Fred."

With that he was gone, his shoes only a mere squeak on the polished hospital floors.

Fred closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them and following the boys back to Jellybean.

"Mr Andrews" she greeted quietly, glancing worriedly at her brother who threw himself into the now vacant chair in the corner.

"Do we need to have a talk about the dangers of the South Side?" Fred teased "Or do you think you got it covered?"

He raised an eyebrow at her bandaged leg and the teen smiled slightly.

"I think I'm good" she assured him, turning to her brother "Is Dad gone?"

Jughead nodded shortly, eyes fixed at the floor.

"What did you do to him?" his sister asked nervously.

"Nothing he didn't deserve" the boy mumbled.

Jellybean sat up "He saved me Jug" she reminded him.

"Yeah" her brother snorted "And then he walked away just like he always does!"

Fred stood between the siblings and raised his hands to silence them.

"Kids, it's been a long day and we're not doing this here or now you understand?"

Both grunted in agreement and the group settled in silence to wait for Jellybean to be released.

* * *

Cheryl looked up from her dinner as her Mother walked in and took a seat opposite her husband.

"A contact I have at the paper tells me there was a brawl at the White Wyrm this afternoon" she hummed, pouring herself some wine.

"Now that's interesting" Clifford said thoughtfully, trying to suppress a smirk "Any casualties?"

Penelope paused to take a dramatic sip of her wine and Cheryl battled not to roll her eyes at her Mother.

"Apparently FP Jones' daughter is in the hospital as we speak."

Cheryl looked up quickly "What?" she exclaimed "That's awful."

"Yes" Clifford agreed, his eyes darkening "Horrific, FP must be quite devastated."

"On the contrary" Penelope piped up, swirling her wine round the glass "I heard he upped and left the hospital at the earliest opportunity."

As her parents continued to gossip Cheryl sat back in her chair, abandoning her meal for she had suddenly lost her appetite. The girl watched her Mother and Father talk through narrowed eyes, thinking back to what Jughead had said about his sister receiving a message from her the evening of the memorial.

"May I be excused?" the redhead asked politely "I have an assignment due soon that I have to work on."

Penelope and Clifford simply waved her away, not even breaking conversation. For once Cheryl was grateful as she fled the room and ascended the stairs with a quickened pace.

It didn't take long for the teen to find herself in her Father's study and she began her searching, poring at his desk and bookshelves for a sign.

Beginning to lose hope, and realising her parents would soon be done with their meal, the girl wrenched open the top drawer of the desk, her heart leaping at the sight of her phone laying atop some paperwork.

Quickly she snatched it and closed the drawer, hurrying from the room as eagerly as she'd come.

* * *

 

Fred helped Jellybean hop into the living room, releasing her so that the girl tumbled onto the couch with a sigh of content.

"Remind me again why you refused the crutches?" the man asked, breathing heavily as he tossed his keys on the table.

"Because I don't want to draw anymore attention to myself and be labelled a freak" the teen reeled off, laughing as he disappeared into the kitchen.

Jughead sat opposite her, pulling off his hat and screwing it up in his hands.

"You don't want to draw attention to yourself yet you go over to the South Side on your own" he observed.

"That's different and you know it" his sister defended

"Bullshit!" her brother laughed humourlessly "It was selfish"

Jellybean glared at him "It's not selfish to want to see my Dad!"

"No but you knew how dangerous it was, you could have been killed and then what? I would have lost a sister all because you can't accept our Dad wants nothing to do with us!" Archie sat back in his chair and massaged the bridge of his nose, deciding to let them fight it out.

"I'm not a baby Jughead!"

"You're still my little sister! And since Dad isn't bothered about us, I'm the one looking after you!"

"I thought that was Fred" Jellybean shot back cockily, ducking as her brother launched a cushion from across the room.

Jughead shook his head at her "You know what? Maybe you do belong on the South Side with Dad."

At this comment the room fell silent, interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"I'll go" Archie said hastily, glad of a reason to leave the warring siblings.

Betty was stood on the porch with a bunch of flowers, and Archie smiled at her in greeting.

"I heard what happened to Jellybean, is she okay?" the blonde asked in concern, handing the flowers to the redhead.

"She's in the living room, maybe with you in there they'll stop screaming at each other."

Betty raised her eyebrows at the throwaway comment, watching Archie carry the flowers to the kitchen before she entered the living room.

"Hey" she greeted awkwardly, looking between Jughead and Jellybean who were now sitting in silence.

"What're you doing here?" Jughead asked, though not unkindly.

The blonde swallowed "I heard about what happened, I wanted to check Jelly was okay..."

"I'm fine" the teen muttered, glancing at her brother with nothing but hurt in her eyes "I'm actually kinda tired so...I'll see you around Betty."

She struggled to her feet and hobbled painfully from the room, Jughead winced as he watched her leave, wanting nothing more than to swoop down and carry her but he couldn't...not now.

"What the hell was that?" Betty questioned, taking a seat beside the boy on the couch as Archie rejoined them.

"He's mad at her for going to the South Side, he's mad at their Dad for letting her get hurt, he's mad at himself for not looking out for her..." Archie reeled off as he collapsed onto the now empty couch.

"Shut up dude" Jughead grumbled shaking his head.

"Tell me I'm wrong" the redhead sighed, sitting forward "You've gotta sort this out Jug, you're family and you're all each other has."

"You don't think I know that!"

"Then fix it. Simple as."

* * *

Veronica arrived at Archie's several hours later with Kevin in tow, holding aloft her phone in explanation for her appearance.

"Cheryl text me, said it was important and we all had to be here, anyone know what's going on?" the raven haired girl demanded.

"What did the text say?" Betty wondered from where she was sat cross-legged beside Jughead on the couch.

Veronica handed over her cell and shrugged off her coat, wandering back into the hall to hang it up.

_Get everyone to Archie's stat. I have news._

"Do you think it's about Jason's murder?" Kevin asked eagerly, perching on the arm of the chair that Veronica sunk into.

"More than likely" Jughead drawled "It's all she talks about."

Archie nudged him "Hey, be cool man" he warned, craning his neck to check his Father was still out working in the garage as the doorbell sounded.

"I guess I'll go" Betty sighed, noticing nobody else moving to answer it.

She let Cheryl in and the redhead barely wiped her feet before she'd entered the living room.

Looking around she frowned "Where's Jellybean?"

"Upstairs" Jughead said dully "Why?"

Cheryl folded her arms, staring at him in exasperation.

"She's the reason I'm here genius, go get her."

The boy tilted his head in confusion but was about to get up when his sister walked in, now dressed in her pyjamas and she looked taken aback by all the faces in the living room.

"Where's your phone?" Cheryl demanded, extended her hand.

"Well you don't waste time" Veronica observed, glancing between the pair "Do we even get an explanation?"

Jellybean's cellphone was clutched in her hand, and she looked down at it nervously.

"It's okay" Cheryl told her with a sigh "I know what he did."

The secret conversation the pair appeared to be having was growing infuriating to the others, and Betty sat forward.

"Will one of you tell us what's going on?" she pushed.

Cheryl tossed her hair over her shoulder, striding over to Jellybean to take the phone from her. As her thumbs busied themselves on the keypad the redhead spoke.

"The other day you came to me in the canteen and accused me of messaging Forsythia here the night of JJ's memorial-"

"-Don't call me that" Jellybean sighed, shifting her weight to avoid putting pressure on her injury.

"Whatever" Cheryl shrugged "Anyway, I told you my parents took my phone away as soon as you left Thornhill that day but still Wednesday Addams here was adamant that I'd been hitting up his little sis on messenger."

Jughead rolled his eyes, glancing to his sister who purposely avoided meeting his gaze.

"I still don't get where this is going" Kevin said pointedly, shrinking away at the glare he received from Cheryl.

"I'm getting to it" she snapped, beginning to pace "I didn't make the connection until tonight when Mommy and Daddy were talking about Jellybean getting hurt over on the South Side this afternoon. Daddy kept mentioning FP and how he must be devastated and all that crap but there was something about the look on his face..."

"Meaning what?" Jughead demanded, growing increasingly impatient especially since his family were being continuously name dropped.

" _Meaning_ " Cheryl continued "That I snuck into Daddy's study while he was still eating and I got my phone back" she turned to Jellybean whose eyes had widened "I didn't send you a text that night, but my Dad did" she held out her cell to the teen who took it and read the screen.

"Okay what text?" Veronica questioned in confusion "Why is your Dad hitting up Jellybean on messenger, that's like beyond creepy."

Cheryl handed Jellybean her phone back and turned to the group.

"To scare her. That night of JJ's memorial he threatened you" Jellybean bowed her head "He threatened you and he threatened your Dad and that's why you went to the South Side and that's why you got hurt...because of my Dad."

Cheryl finished and took a deep breath, allowing the information to sink in.

"What did it say?" Archie asked, anger rising in him at the thought of Clifford Blossom using Jellybean as a pawn in his games.

Cheryl thrust her phone over and the group passed it along, each taking the time to read the threat displayed on the screen.

"I'm sorry for what he did" Cheryl said to Jellybean, checking the time on her watch "I have to go, don't worry I won't let him do anything else without me being two steps ahead first."

Before anyone could question this the redhead had swept from the house, leaving only a trail of cherry blossom perfume in her wake.

* * *

The silence in the room was palpable, and Jellybean felt increasingly awkward stood in front of her brother and his friends.

"I'm gonna head to bed" she said quietly after a moment "Night."

Jughead got to his feet to stop her, but his head was swimming with all this new information that he simply sagged and allowed her to go, watching sadly.

Betty stood up beside him and squeezed his shoulder "We're gonna get going" she announced "Let you guys try and figure out what's going on."

Veronica nodded and took Kevin's hand as he pulled her up.

"We'll see you at school tomorrow" she told the boys, cupping both of their cheeks on her way out.

Kevin nodded at them and took off after her, while Betty gave them a hug each as she too made her way home.

As Archie and Jughead were left in the silence of the living room, the latter turned to his friend with a shake of his head.

"I'm an idiot" he groaned, running a hand over his face.

Archie couldn't help but let out a short laugh "Go talk to her man" he instructed, shoving the boy towards the stairs.

Jughead stumbled but went anyway, he had to make things right with his sister.

* * *

"Come in" Jellybean called softly, and Jughead opened the door to see his sister balanced precariously on her bed as she tried to close her window.

"Hey careful" he chided, hurrying over to help her down before shutting it himself.

"Thanks" the girl mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed with a sigh.

Jughead cautiously took a seat beside her, watching her through narrowed eyes.

"So, who knew Cheryl was such a Sherlock Holmes" Jellybean joked, though there was no warmth in her laugh.

Her brother sat forward and buried his face in his hands with a moan.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, turning to his sister "Why didn't you say something?"

Jellybean shrugged "It's no secret you hate Dad, I didn't think you'd care either way."

The boy stared at her helplessly "I care about  _you"_ he told her "I care if you're being threatened."

"I wasn't...it was more Dad"

"Jelly they warned you not to say anything or your Dad would go to jail...that's a threat."

She shook her head "Who cares right? He made it pretty clear he doesn't want or need us."

Jughead screwed his eyes shut, willing himself not to cry as he held out an arm "C'mere" he sighed, pulling his sister into him.

"I'm sorry Jug" she whispered against his t-shirt "I just wanted to make sure he was okay."

"I know" her brother soothed "I know that now, I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"You mean you don't want me to go live on the South Side with him?" she sniffled.

Jughead tilted her chin up to face him "Never" he insisted, pulling her into a proper hug.

The siblings sat together wrapped in each others arms as they felt the rest of their family life crumble.

Archie watched from the doorway with a smile on his face, for aside from his Dad, the two in front of him meant more to the redhead than anyone else, they were his siblings, his family, and he knew they would always have a home with him.

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
